>> holy moley. >> wild weather striking across the country with a wide range of conditions from powerful tornadoes to heavy snow. [ gunfire ] >> gunfire during a referendum for independence in eastern ukraine, pro russian separatists celebrating. the u.s. won't recognize the

vote. >> they were a menace. >> controversial laws, some bikers say they are unfairly targeted. >> the washington monument officially reopened today after being closed for nearly three years. >> a powerful string storm system is bringing wild weather to much of the country. it has spun off tornadoes in the nebraska and cans and brought more than a foot of snow to colorado and wyoming, where winter storm warnings remain in effect this morning in places like texas, nevada and california, hot dry conditions combined with high winds are causing red flag warnings with firefighters on alert for wildfires. good morning, i'm stephanie sy. erica pitzi has been tracking the storm. >> according to the national weather service, there were 26 preliminary tornado reports across nebraska, iowa, kansas

and indiana. the governor of missouri declared a state of emergency after a violent tornado ravaged a small town there. thunderstorms not the only concerns, some states are suffering through snow storms at the same time as other states are fighting with wildfires. >> nearly a dozen tornadoes ripped across the heart land over the weekend. the latest twister tore through a town near lincoln, nebraska, uprooting trees and ripping apart homes. >> i heard a crash, that was one of the trees going through my living room window. i went upstairs to check it out, went back down stairs, heard another big boom, that was the tree behind my house, lifted up and thrown over the shed. >> a small community near cans city, missouri hit hard by a tornado damaging 300 homes. a giant grain silo mangled by a twister with winds up to

135 miles per hour. so far, no injuries reported as rescuers continued to pull people from the rubble, like this woman trapped in her basement. >> we are coming to get you. are you ok? while it may be spring, winter continues to reign in some states while colorado, wyoming and utah are getting slapped with snow. cleared city utah lost power. dozens of accidents are blamed on the icy and slippery conditions. a foot of snow fell in some areas and there's more to come as the national weather service issued a winter storm warning knowledge morning. in the southwest, trees are toppled in texas and cars crushed in california. >> we're blessed, because we have good homeowners insurance and good car insurance. >> the winds making matters worse in texas where firefighters be dealing with wildfires due a extremely dry weather. >> these high and dry winds forced increased fire warnings

in seven states, plus record temperatures could be on their way. california may top 100 degrees this week. >> that is something even for southern california. the threat of severe weather continues today. let's bring in our meteorologist. good morning. >> good morning, we are certainly still tracking very active weather this morning. i want to show you reports that we had yesterday. these are simply just the tornado reports. they were mainly here across kansas, and had a few in northern indiana, as well. we had a lot of rainfall, a heavy line of storms moving across wisconsin over make michigan into western michigan, as well. we have this batch of rain that's also moving across parts of kansas. it's a small cluster of storms right here where we still do have a severe thunderstorm watch in effect until about 9:00 local time. it does include the city of kansas city, but right now, kansas city, it looks like the

bulk of activity is to your north. we get behind that system and we're dealing with the cold air in place. we're still dealing with wintery conditions and our winter storm warning is still in effect around denver. some areas around colorado received upwards of a foot and a half of snow. there is more snow falling around denver. we could see up to three inches of snowfall. definitely unusual for this time of year. the threat of severe weather is still with us. we're watching for a slight risk of storms from michigan and wisconsin all the way southward into texas. not seeing a lot of activity right now this morning, but as the day starts to warm up, we will see a few more showers and storms pop. right now our skies are clear. that will aid to heat things up as we go through the day. a few showers back behind us, a little further to the west across northern texas.

as that front progresses eastward, it will be right along to front where we see storms today. >> ebony deon, thank you. boko haram is looking to negotiate the release of nearly 300 school girls they abducted last month. in a new video, the leader of the group said he will not let the girls go until imprisoned members of boko haram are set free. we have the latest from the nigerian capitol. >> in a video, he is sounded by 100 girls of the abducted girls, shown in full hajab from head to toe. a couple of them are interviewed on the video, visibly scared and shaken. in the video, reportedly says that some of the girls have converted to islam and those who haven't, he's willing to trade

them with authorities in exchange of boko haram's prisoners held in nigerian prisons. >> reporting there from nigeria. the bbc reports the borno state governor is passing sightings from the governor, saying he does not think the girls are taken into neighboring countries. israel will send in a counter terrorism team to nigeria, as well. >> it's going to be very ditch. it's a vast country. this is not going to be an easy task, but we're going to bring to bear every asset we can possibly use to help the nigerian government. >> defense secretary hagel said the u.s. does not plan to put boots on the ground in nigeria. >> france is offering to host a

summit to discuss security in africa and how to combat boko haram. >> victory has been declared in parts of eastern ukraine after residents voted overwhelmingly for self rule. the u.s. and europe call it illegal. russia says it is respecting the outcome of the referendum even under the threat of new sanctions. all eyes are focused on nationwide elections taking place in two weeks. >> in donetsk, many relish the victory they say will allow them to determine their own fate, so govern themselves or join russia. according to election officials, the referendum was accomplished.

>> i would like to underline one more time, it's not a referendum. it's an attempt by terrorists, bandits and killers to cover their activity by having citizens vote. >> the u.s., nato and e.u. say they won't recognize any of the votes, either. which they call illegal. >> these votes, these attempts at wrench comes have zero credibility in the eyes of the world. they are illegal by anybody's standard. they don't meet any standard, not a single standard. >> while the rushed elections were mostly peaceful, gunman said to be ukrainian national guard opened fire on a crowd. as for what's next in those eastern regions, including following crimea in a russian annexation, it remains unclear. last week, vladimir putin called for the referendum to be postponed and said he would move

40,000 russian troops from the ukrainian border, but those statements are being met with skepticism. >> russia continues to isolate itself for a short term gain. they, the russians may feel that somehow, they're winning, but the world is not about just short term. >> of course, ukraine's interim government in kiev is calling elections illegal and says it will not recognize the results. let's go to donetsk, eastern ukraine where sunday's referendum was held. >> the days and weeks leading up to this so-called referendum have been so out from with violence and intimidation, claim and counterclaim, the percentage points wimp get announced on monday are irrelevant. the accept are a activity leaders here have given us the answer, it's an in exorable slide toward the east. the self declared chairman of the unilaterally declared group

said it will reflect badly on the people of the donetsk region. we are russians, we are slavs. in the near future, there will be some kind of union here. this land was never ukraine, we speak russian. you can see where this is going. >> paul brennan for us in donetsk, ukraine. stay with aljazeera for continuing coverage of the eastern ukraine referendum. coming up at 7:30 eastern, we'll discuss the u.s. and russian reaction to the results of that vote. >> south korea is opening an investigation into the ferry that sank last month, killing 300 people. special sessions will be held throughout the week. officials want to confirm the cause of the accident. crew members have been arrested along with the c.e.o. of the company that owns the ferry.

the boat was carrying three times its maximum cargo load. >> search crews in virginia found the body of the third victim of a hot air balloon crash. the two others killed were staff members at the university of richmond. the college held a moment of silence for the women's basketball employees during a graduation ceremony this weekend. the balloon hit a power line and caught on fire during the start of the mid atlantic balloon festival. >> china and vietnam are at adds over the south china sea. vietnam's prime minister said china is acting dangerously in the pursuit, placing a giant oil rig in an area claimed by vietnam. each accuses the other of ramming its ships. the south china sea is sounded by several asian nations and several laid claim to it. some of also american allies. >> more than 2.5 miles of cracks

to repair after being damaged in an earthquake. a live report from the memorial hours ahead of the official reopening. >> the sterling family battling it out in the war of public opinion. >> today's big number is $900 million, what it reveals about problems with the upcoming word cup in brazil. >> taking a live look now at snow. snow falling on this may day. may 12, castle rock, colorado, that is.

>> the world's most widely viewed sporting event is only a month away, but the upcoming world cup in brazil is tainted with allegations of corruption. that's the subject of today's big number, $900 billion, how much the new soccer stadium in rio reportedly cost, triple the original price. according to the associated press, the main construction company working on the stadium increased its political donations in the most recent

election 500 fold. in a new report, auditors flagged more than $500 million in suspect spending. of that $500 million, auditors found $275 million in alleged price gouging and they haven't even finished examining the whole project. the government said the report is wrong and will justify all of that spending. for soccer fans, the world cup is in full swing. the big draw, stickers, sewed in more than 100 nations. nowhere are they more popular than out america. we take you to argentina where fans set up trading places at parks, book stores and at the stadium, hope to go completely their world cup sticker sets. >> taking to the national airways to defend themselves are thester links. >> you knew the nba would have a response to this. the sterlings sat down separately for their first extended interviews since the

release of donald sterling's racist remarks and ensuing storm that has the nba vowing to take the clippers away from them. sterling seems to blame girlfriend v. stiviano. he says: mean while, donald sterling's wife shelly spoke to barbara walters. shelly sterling tells walters she has no intention of relinquishing her 50% interest of the team. >> i'm fighting for my 50%.

>> there are reports that the nba wants to out of the you completely as a team owner. you will fight that decision? >> i will fight that decision. >> now in response, the nba says the league's constitution is clear. if 75% of owners vote out a controlling owner, all other team owner's interests are terminated, as well. a press conference is scheduled for today will the clippers acting c.e.o. >> the clippers won over the weekend. >> they did, indeed. >> let's get a look at temperatures across the nation today. >> we are going to see the cold weather sticking around for much of the inner mountain west, but really heating things up along the coastline. high pressure gives way to sunshine across much of southern california, but with that offshore wind flow, winds are going to allow those

temperatures to rise. meanwhile, we are keeping it cool across colorado where in denver, we are sitting at 30 degrees now and only making it up to 40's. temperatures well above average this time of year. we get up to 70 degrees. i want to show you live video out of the denver area where we are dealing with the snow still coming down. there we go. you can see that snow still coming down, the roads are going to be slick, visibility right now at two miles per hour. the snow will gradually taper off, but not before adding an additional one pole up to three inches of more snow. still watching that area for the wintery weather. through the work week, temperatures will get back to where they should be. in l.a., the heat continues, temperatures rising even more so as we head out on tuesday into wednesday. that's when 90's will start to show up. mid 90's by wednesday by thursday we will closing in on the century mark so really feeling that heat above the west

and much of the east feeling that, as well. >> righting a wrong after more than 70 years. harrison wilson wanted to attend the university of kentucky after returning from world war ii, but he was denied an education in his home state because of the color of his skin. over the weekend, the school gave him an honorary doctorate degree. >> you can see how much progress has been immediate. >> he's always inspired me. not everybody has to role model that has gone so for in education. i was blessed to ever that growing up. >> the elder wilson did get a college education at kentucky state. he later earned his p.h.d. in indiana and served at president of norfolk state university in virginia. we'll have more of his story in our next hour.

>> visitors will once again be able to hike to the top of the washington monument. it will reopen for the first time since 2011 when it was badly damaged in an earthquake. the national park service is holding a special ceremony this morning. >> there's no better view in town. >> starting this morning, it's open to the public again. >> it's amazing to see it reopen while we're here. >> picture don't do it justice. >> repairs are done after an earthquake left cracks and debris falling from the monument. surrounded by scaffolding for more than a year, it took dozens of stainless steel anchors and more than two and a half miles of salant to fix it. >> the first thing was a stone by stone survey of the monument. >> the elevator had to be radar. 555 feet have marble and granite, stone that's 15 feet thick at the base, only seven inches at the top. >> that small of a tip on that

big of a monument is actually amazing. >> most of the damage was near the top. >> being able to access the work 550 feet in the air was really truly a challenge. >> the new monument that new exhibits, too. >> people who had visual problems will have tactile experiences, and will use fortunforeign languages to helpl the story of the monument. >> we're outside of the monument now, live. i just talked to people who are hoping to get tickets today. there are 1800 tickets, about 40 people in line now, so not a big deal, but in terms of getting tickets for the rest of the summer, that could be a bit of a challenge. 16,000 tickets went, in the first 15 minutes, they are booked through the end of june. >> how much did it cost to

repair the monument and who paid for it? >> the budget was $15 million, and the government, the taxpayers were expecting to pay for all of that. half was paid by the taxpayers. >> it is the final day of voting in the world's largest election. 800 million people have been casting ballots in india. today, there are massive crowds in the city, which is the equivalent of the vatican for hinduism. why has the city become a key battleground in these elections? >> well, it's deeply significant

spiritually to the hindu faith for people who want their ashes spread along the bank of the ganges. it has a very large muslim population and is a great battleground to try and make sure that when a leader is elected they have a mandate from a hindu community and verge muslim community. we see two very large political players vying for that constituency seat. we have the man many people believe if you believe the media reports here, that he may become the next foreign minister of this country, fighting a set a alongside the man whose party was born out of an anti corruption campaign over the last three years. he fought in recent local elections back in new delhi, did

very well. they both believe even though their home states, but if they fight, they are showing the indian populace at large that they have a mandate to represent them across the country. winning this seat means more than a constituency, it means i can represent you across india. >> we really appreciate that context. five weeks of voting ends today. what happens next and how long until a new prime minister actually takes power? >> all of the candidates will either be in the home cities now or returning to their headquarters. the vote count will begin on friday, so a bit of a respite before then. postal votes will be counted,

from forces, diplomats abroad and certain polling center staff that weren't able to vote in their home states during the election process. those are counted first, then the electronic voting machines across the country, a million and a half will start their vote count. we should get some indications by the afternoon on friday. >> such a very important election. thank you. >> pro russian accept are a activities are celebrating victory in ukraine, but not everyone is celebrating. what happens next. >> new claims the iraqi army is using deadly barrel bombs in civilian airs. >> testing drones to keep airline passengers safe.

>> the bustling material national in lower manhattan. it is 67 degrees in new york city this morning.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. let's get a look at our top stories this morning. pro-russian separatists are declaring victory in eastern ukraine after saying residents voted for independence. kiev called the referendums in several eastern cities a far as. other international leaders say it's illegal. >> wild weather tears across the country. missouri declared a state of emergency after a tornado slammed a small town. >> in colorado, utah and wyoming, snow is causing power outages. >> boko haram said it would

consider negotiating the release of 300 abducted school girls. the group said it might free the girls in exchange for release of its members from prison. >> ukraine eastern provinces declaring victory in a referendum. there were several deaths on sunday as residents of donetsk voted. >> this amateur footage shows gunman firing on an unarmed crowd after rejecting them follow a polling station. the tension in eastern ukraine is turning to violence on an almost daily base now. it is unlikely to ease after thousands turned out to vote in the region's referendum on whether to split from the rest of ukraine.

>> i want peace in this country. i don't want this horrible mess from kiev that they created, a war, the killing of people and it continues here. >> the government in kiev is animate it won't recognize the vote. >> it's not a referendum, it is an attempt by terrorists, bandits and killers to cover their activity by having citizens vote. >> there have been no official monitors or observers, but among the media observing, reports of piles of yes votes in see through ballot boxes like these. allegations of repeat voting, very little sign of no votes. there are genuinely a lot of people keen to embrace the idea of some form of autonomy for this region. it's also because those against are afraid to speak out.

>> i did find one man willing to explain why he was against the referendum movement, but he was scared and didn't want to be identified. >> they don't understand what kind of a threat it poses and what can happen as a result. it appears russia doesn't want us and we are parting from ukraine, left on its own, this region would be a catastrophe. >> votes were counted in the four to five separatist strongholds of slovensk. >> an executive board member of the ukrainian congress committee joins us to delve deeper.

there is a laundry list of why people are casting doubts on the credibility of this vote, but does it have the potential to lead to the breakup of ukraine. >> it is a giant publicity stunt. you meaned correctly there's a whole list of reasons why you can't call it an election. it's some kind of publicity stunt because there's not even a clear definition of what they were voting for. people aren't sure what it is, it's calling for some kind of self control, everybody would vote for that broad a question. >> in crimea, the referendum vote was not a publicity stunt, leading to the annexation of crimea. >> it gives the impetus to go in with your army later on. putin, mr. chuck hagel said yesterday, putin's playing a shortly game. he's actually playing a mid term game. he says got the resource to say wait this out, sew the seeds of

discontent. these are individual flash point areas within province, which is why we saw the big lines. he's waiting out until the area is quite disconcerted enough for him to come in on a shiny horse saying i to have rescue these people. >> although the makeup of ukraine is quite different, let's bring up a poll done last week by the pugh research center. they released a poll saying 70% of respondents in eastern ukraine actually favoring keeping the country united. 18% favor secession. the rest were undecided. the numbers we're seeing come out of this referendum in donetsk were 94%, as you've said and with my hague, the prime minister of britain said there are no standards that these elections have met, but eastern ukraine is not all pro russia and even those who are seem to

favor unit with ukraine. >> correct, even that question of i favor more self control doesn't mean you want to join with russia, doesn't mean you want to be an independent country. it's a very vague question, so what exactly are they voting for. we don't know where the money came from for this. if a local municipality wanted to hold an independent referendum, you would think it's coming from them, but the local state is not controlling the accept are a activities. how did they have money to accept a polling station set up in moscow for residents who were living there at the same time, so it's clear that something is orchestrated outside of the bounds of ukraine. >> you are head to go kiev for these may 25 national presidential elections. how do you think events in eastern ukraine will affect the valuety of those elections? >> the interesting thing is we didn't have a lot of polling places for this referendum. you saw a couple in a couple of cities. it's a handful, which is why you saw long lines, because they

didn't have other polling places open. when the entire country is voting, what happens to those handful controlled in areas where people won't be allowed to vote. that will be a flash point for people. for the vast majority of the country, there will be voting and international mop fors, thousands coming from all over the world. >> in thailand, anti-government protestors have taken over a government house. the building has been vacant since the prime minister was ousted last week. opposition leaders want parliament to appoint a new prime minister. she was removed last week for abuse of power. >> police are investigating a pair of grenade blasts set off near a protest site in bangkok. the government has warned people to stay away from the protest sites for their own safety.

two were injured in the explosion late sunday night. >> people in fallujah say the army is using barrel bombs to drive anti-government fighters out of the city. if the allegations prove true, the use of such i.e.d.'s in heavily populated civilian areas could be seen as a war crime. >> these pictures could well be the first time we have seen the use of barrel bombs in iraq. they are in effect homemade heavy exclosives. the name's accurate, the bombs around. explosive material is put into a barrel and dropped from a helicopter. the government has a shortage of weapons. one man has stone witnesses who saw barrel bombs dropped by army helicopters. >> we have big bomb it is on the city, the army is using the

barrel bombs on many citizens of the city. >> sources say they have had to treat casualties and the situation is desperate for those trapped. the ministry of defense spokesman told aljazeera that we are fighting terrorism with our military machine, and we're doing it in a humane way. don't be fooled by the propaganda on the other side. we are conducts operatings to sweep away terrorism and we did not use barrel bombs in fallujah. >> the army has fired barrel bombs on residential neighborhoods in fallujah.

>> they have been fighting in anbar province since january and both sides experienced heavy losses. if the use of barrel bombs is confirmed in civilian areas, that constitutes a war crime. it also constitutes a new and troubling tactic by the iraqi army. aljazeera, baghdad. >> according to the united nations, the violence has uprooted 75,000 families from their homes. >> aljazeera arabic correspondent has now been on a hunger strike in an egyptian prison for 112 days. his lawyer has told aljazeera that he has asked to be transferred to a hospital within 48 hours. recent medical tests have shown that his health is failing. he could die if not given immediate help. >> during a visit, it said he was in coherent and the things

he said didn't make sense. he also fainted and was unconscious. his mother called the lawyer to confirm the people saw him in that state and of course i felt his life was at risk, especially after i saw him in court and the pictures after he lost weight. >> three other aljazeera journalists also continue to be held in egypt for 135 days now. they are falsely accused of conspiring with the outlawed muslim brotherhood. the group's been declared terrorist organization by egypt. aljazeera rejects all the charges and is demanding their immediate release. >> dozen was libyan migrant have drowned off the coast of libya, their boat capsized. forty bodies have been recovered. 52 were rescued. the boats was on its way to europe. it's a common transit route trying to cross the

mediterranean. >> joseph kony is one of the most wanted individuals in the world. the search for him is narrowed. the u.s. is helping in the hunt for him. >> this is a rare glimpse of joseph kony, also called africas most wanted man, the leaders of the lra, lord's resistance army and led the ghostly resistance in the dense jungles of central africa for years. he's been indicted for war crimes by the international criminal court stemming from a guerilla war. tens of thousands of people were killed, over a million displaced, many raped and maimed. countless children were forced to kill and mutilate their own families and then turned into coney's personal soldiers

the tactics of the l.r.a. have changed. the violence decreased significantly in the past two years, but the history shows what they're still capable of. >> an african union with 5,000 soldiers backed by 100 u.s. special forces have been trying to find him for years. in march, the u.s. sent four aircraft to help in the search. it's a massive challenge, the operation based out of uganda covering south sudan, the democratic republic of congo. it's terrain kony and miss men know well. >> it's now that the l.r.a. is estimated to of 160 actual

combatants from uganda left, but even though the numbers don't seem that imposing compared to other armed groups in the region, the l.r.a. is able to do much damage with relatively few fighters. >> as the l.r.a. isn't quite the force that it once was, there is a fear that the group could take advantage of unrest in the central african republic and south sudan to further destabilize the region. for those who survived his tactics, hearing joseph kony's name still in vokes an unspeakable fear. >> kony and some of his commanders are hiding in south sudan and neighboring sudan according to a report. >> the oscar pistorius trial is beginning its final week.

it is testified that pistorius suffers from an anxiety disorder, stemming from his double amputation as an infant and that his parents pressured him to appear normal. the athlete is charged with shooting his super model girlfriend. pistorius thought she first an intruder. >> motorcycle riders are challenging new anti gang laws. they are going to court to fight for their ride together. >> riding as a group, they can seem intimidating, and australia's politicians and police say people are right to be scared of biker gangs, saying they are criminal enterprises. members are behind organized crime, drug dealing, extortion and even murder. >> thanks very much for letting us come along.

>> they are hitting back. they now want to talk. they are not criminals, merely motor bike enthusiasts, they say and right now are the victims. >> they are very selective as to who we talk to and who we let into our club. >> bikers are fighting what they say are new laws infringing on their civil rights, including an extra 15 years in prison for any crime which in the eyes of the police is gang related. this meeting is taking place in new south wales. in greensland, it would be illegal where more than two club members are banned from being in the same place at the same time. >> very quick to condemn other countries for human rights abuses, but what they're doing to us now isn't much different at all. if we haven't commit add crime, why can't we associate? >> the lawyer leading a high court challenge has brought

similar laws in other states and won, but that takes months. >> they'll do enough damage in the meantime before these laws get knocked out by the high courts. >> police are unapologetic. bikers they say are criminals, and along queensland's gold coast, the violence associated with them is getting worse. >> the intimidation, extortion, harassment that these crime gang members put on the community, they are a criminal menace to the community. >> bikers say they're not the menace, the draconian laws are. politicians and police say laws that fringe bikers rights are worth having. the courts will decide whether the allow is illegal.

>> five people were killed in southern california when a van flipped on top of a car. the driver of the van veered into traffic at an intersection in san bernadino sunday morning. he smashed into a sedan and landed on top of it. all five people were killed, including three children. the van's driver escaped with minor injuries. no charges have been filed. >> one airline is exploring emerging technology to keep passengers safer in the skies, turning to drones and virtual glass to speed and improve the quality of plane inspections. we show you how it works. >> armed with lasers and high-definition cameras, this remote control drone could change the way aircraft inspections done. any suspicious marks or damage are referred to engineers for them to check. it is tested as an alternative to fully manual inspections. >> occasionally, we get damage to the aircraft from atmospheric

phenomenon such as lightning strikes. they take many, many hours to cover an aircraft of this size. we believe the drone and drone technology can speed that up. >> the drones are currently operated bay pilot, but there are plans to make them computer controlled. this will make the inspections more methodical and easy to record for future reference. >> there's an awful lot of factors that have a need to do inspection of quite complex, high value pieces of infrastructure. the possibility for exploitation of drones for that task is a real big opportunity. >> >> there's also growing interest in technology like virtual technology glasses. they allow problems to be seen and diagnosed from a distance in realtime. >> they can get up close and personal with the aircraft on the grounds. they can get to nooks and

crannies that perhaps visual inspection might miss. for that reason, i'm all positive that this is a really good thing. >> the drones could be part of the official inspection of aircraft as early as next year. if they are, the technique may insure the passengers. >> special apps for pilots, and flights are paperless. >> a flight had to be diversed to ireland after most of the crew members suddenly got sick. the plane turned around over the atlantic ocean and headed back to dublin after seven of the nine flight attendants onboard reported feeling dizzy and nauseous. u.s. airways said the pilots and 185 passengers onboard showed no signs of the mysterious illness. other flights were arranged back

to philadelphia for the passengers. >> the surprising reason some holocaust survivors are trying to preserve paintings that glorify hitler and the nazis. >> the key to controlling your dreams is our discovery of the day. >> taking a live look at one of the classic canals of amsterdam. it's just before 2:00 p.m. there. the architecture looks familiar may be because it influenced new york city. r a person

>> talk to al jazeera only on al jazeera america >> today's discovery is straight out of the movie "inception." scientists have figured out how you can control the outcome of your dreams the way it happens in the film. it takes pumps a small electric current into the brain, enable

sleepier to control what happens. people who had the lucid dreams said they could fly at will or manipulate the world around them. researchers say it could be useful for victims of post traumatic stress disorder plagued by nate mayors. >> nazi art, some want pieces made public. >> first, let's look at the weather across the u.s. i see rain and snow and more storms. >> we can't catch a break especially in the middle of the country. that is an area i'm going to focus in on. across the midwest, we've been battered with rain and storms and this morning still do have the rain out there. our severe thunderstorm watch has since expired, but we still are going to watch this area mainly for afternoon storms to fire up. more rain around parts of kansas into nebraska is going to be shifting eastward. meanwhile on the backside of the system. we have dry air. it's it interior section where

the snow continues to come down some of the higher elevations into colorado have seen over a foot and a half and more snow is on the way before that wintery weather winds down. >> ebony deon, thank you. >> the miami dolphins have fined defensive book don jones and suspended him from team activities until he undergoes sensitivity training for tweets he sent after the st. louis rams selected openly gay michael sam in the final round of the nfl draft. assuming was caught on cam extra kissing his boyfriend in celebration. after the kiss, jones tweeted o.m.g. and horrible. he has since apologized to sam and the miami dolphins. >> a u.s. collection of nazi art is causing quite a stir. some historians say making it public could actually help viewers understand how hitler used propaganda and make sure no one ever forgets the holocaust. >> these are the sort of paintings you would expect the

u.s. army to have, artwork commissioned by the military itself to record the u.s. war experience abroad, however, just a few steps away, the subject matter transforms. >> one of the main issues with this particular piece is that you look at the skull and crossbones, you look at that individual's collar badge, that signifies the s.s. it's a very direct message glorifying the s.s. >> this piece is one of 456 german works held at a u.s. army base just outside washington, d.c. under the terms of an agreement that followed the war. >> paintings weren't returned if they were deemed evert propaganda, contained nazi insignia or depicted nazi leaders. >> the argument is this work has lost is artistic privileges because of its subject matter and message. art commissioned by the nazis were not commissioned by the

united states for mass consumption during the war. >> the scene of the american b17 coming in, engines on fire, it's firing flares to indicate that there is wounded onboard. >> the championing of artistic freedom was the propaganda message, not the specific work, a strategy that continued into the cold war. >> for the ally, it was important to show the difference between these regimes, what they stood for. >> the u.s. holocaust museum has organized exhibition of nazi art. seen within the context of the horror ofness eyism, the cure rater said the work retains some value. >> it's important for these objects to be preserved and available for display in the proper circumstances. you have to look at the consequences that caused the deaths of 55 million people.

when you look at this artwork, you examine what role does it play. >> german authorities and u.s. don't seem concerned about getting it back. when contacted about the collection, the german embassy in washington declined to comment. the official concessions seems to be this should remain locked up in a virginia warehouse. >> news of this nazi art in virginia comes as the world learned of more artwork connected to the third reich. there were millions of dollars are art believed to be seized by the nazis. >> pro-russian separatistses say voters in ukraine voted for independence. the international community said it will not recognize the referendum. >> reports of more than two dozen tornadoes, missouri declaring a state of emergency. >> the washington monument

reopens this afternoon for the first time since damaged in an earthquake. >> the soaring cost of searching for malaysia airlines flight 370. >> we'll be back in two minutes with more. real reporting that brings you the world. giving you a real global perspective like no other can. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america.

>> brand new video showing hundreds of girls kidnapped by a heavily armed nigerian militia, what boko haram is demanding for their safer return. >> voters decide on the future of eastern ukraine, now just moments away from the official outcome as another region threatens to become part of russia. >> the issue of transgender is a

bit more complicated. >> it could be a landmark moment for america's military. the secretary of defense opening the door for the possibility of transgender soldiers. >> donald sterling speaks out on the comments that got him banned from the nba for life. what he says about his rant and what his wife says about her future with the clippers. >> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. for the first time since they were abducted over a month ago, there is a glimmer of hope that kidnapped school girls in nigeria may still be alive. this is a new video obtained bay french news agency showing the girls dressed in muslim garb. the leader of boko haram said the girls are converted to islam. we have the latest from the nigerian capitol. >> in the 17 minute video, sounded by some of the abducted girls, roughly 100 of the girls

are dressed in hajab from head to toe. company couple of them are showing signs of being shaken and afraid. >> one can imagine the stress to the families of the kidnapped girls and amount of shock it would add. the international community has shown solidarity with the people since this started a month ago. >> a politician in nigeria said he has information about where the girls might be. the born know state governor

that said he did not think that boko haram had taken the girls into neighboring countries. intelligence experts from a number of countries including the u.s. are now asking for the search in these girls. a counter terrorism team will be sent, as well. >> it's going to be very difficult. it's a vast country. this is not going to be an easy task, but we're going to bring to bear every asset we can possibly use to help the nigerian government. >> defense secretary hagel said the u.s. does not plan to put boots on the ground in nigeria. >> france is offering to host a summit to discuss security in africa and how to combat boko haram. >> the government in kiev calls the referendum held in eastern ukraine a far as. the e.u. is meeting to go over additional sanctions against russia. the people who live in those

eastern provinces overwhelmingly decided to break away from on ukraine and must now weigh joining russia. >> according to election officials, a sweeping majority apartmented for sovereignty. it's the way they voted across cities in eastern ukraine, like slovyansk. >> the e.u. and u.s. won't recognize the votes, which they all illegal. >> transparency, properly conducted with a public referendum, and the people organizing them didn't even pretend to meet standards.

the important thing is that the ukrainian elections go ahead on the 25 of may. >> while the rushed elections were mostly peaceful. [ gunfire ] >> gunman said to be ukrainian national guard opened fire on a crowd. as for what's next in eastern regions, including following crimea in a russian annexation, it remakes unclear. last week, russian president vladimir putin called for the referendum to be postponed, saying he would move 40,000 russian troops from the ukrainian border. those statements are met with skepticism. >> we're still looking for signs of real deescalation. you know very well that that means seeing where troop movements might be. also means signals that need to be sent to calm things down. >> i'm here in donetsk.

i think the saying be careful what you wish for could be translated here as be careful what you vote for. the question put to the people here on sunday was whether they favor some form of self rule. it wasn't spelled out exactly what that meant. but people at polling stations said they were simply expressing their dissatisfaction with the authorities over in kiev. nonetheless, self proclaimed leaders of the donetsk people's republic are pushing for closer union are russia. >> those voting may be in agreement in eastern ukraine, but the day still marked by violence. is there any indication of post election violence that could be coming? >> it's been rather quiet here, but the fallout from yesterday, we saw the pictures in the report just run, that's caused a

huge amount of anger here. sentiment was already seething as a result of deadly incidents in odessa a week ago and in a little town called mariupol south are here. there is the constant fear that ukrainian forces or russian forces would come in and disrupt events here. the backdrop of violence is certainly causing issues and adding to the sense of instability here. >> what you are hearing out of russia following this referendum, paul? >> no direct quotes from president vladimir putin himself yet, but the kremlin issued a statement which pretty much sums up exactly their intentions. they said: we respect the will of the people in donetsk and luhan reasons and are counting on practical implementation in a civilized manner. you can see they expect that the people here, the leaders, the

self proclaimed leaders here are going to join with russia as soon as possible. >> paul brennan for us in eastern ukraine, thank you. >> a powerful spring storm is bringing snow, hail and tornadoes to a large portion of the country. we follow the damage. this storm is still going strong. >> absolutely, stephanie, you know the winter storm warning is in effect this morning after nearly a foot of snow fell in some states. at the same time, there are wildfires ragion in the southwest. first, let's talk about tornadoes again. the national weather service said there were 26 preliminary tornado reports on sunday in nebraska, iowa, kansas and indiana. the latest twister tore through nebraska uprooting trees and ripping apart homes. same thing happened in a small town west of kansas city, missouri where a powerful tornado packing winds of up to 135 miles per hour touched down. you can see a giant grain silo

mangled by the twister along with 300 homes. tornadoes not the only concern here, some states suffering through snow storms, colorado wyoming and now utah are getting slammed with snow. 7,000 people lost power in cedar city, utah. dozens of car accidents are blamed on the slappy and icy conditions. the flip side is in the southwest, all about the wind gusting up to 70 miles per hour, toppling trees in texas and in texas, firefighters are already dealing with wildfires due to extremely dry weather. high winds do not help the dry weather. there are increased fire warnings in seven states, some places are facing potentially record temperatures this week. california may top 100 degrees. steph. >> ok, erica pitzi, thank you. campaigning kicked off in syria today for next months presidential elections.

bashar al assad is widely expected to win a third term in office. a brutal civil war rages on in syria. >> this video reportedly shot over the weekend shows the latest round of explosions in fighting between rebels and syrian government forces. the june elections are said to be a sham. >> 40 people are dead after a boat sank off north africa. dozens have bodies have been recovered near tripoli. the boat was on its way to europe. saturday, libya's interior minister threatened to help illegal migrants reach europe if the european union didn't help with the in flux of people trying to cross the mediterranean. and it is common transit route

for those looking to escape their countries. >> tensions are brewing between china and vietnam. vietnam's prime minister said china is acting dangerously in the dispute. new developments have led to a fresh tug of war between multiple countries over the strategic body of water. >> vietnam's government rarely toll rates protests like these. the fact it has is perhaps a measure of the deepening official anger that china's maritime ambitions in the south china sea. >> china not only violates vietnam's territories said this protestors, but shows its ambition to say invade the entire sea. shaky video shows a recent confrontation in troubled waters, a chinese ship rams a vietnamese coast guard vessel. skirmishes have gone on for a

week. a deep wore oil rig was parked close to the islands, claimed by vietnam but seized by china after a brief war in 1974. beijing insists the oil rig is staying put. >> we have no choice but to increase our security. this aim is to guarantee our reasonable normal drilling operations. >> china claims sovereignty over almost all of the south china sea, putting it in conflict not only with vietnam, but the philippines, as well. the area is thought to be rich in oil and gas deposits and has some of the world's busiest shipping lanes. the worry now though is that the high seas brinksmanship could get out of control. >> things could get out of hand

by mistakes on the ground from somebody that is trigger happy. >> in myanmar, with china accusing some members of the grouping of trying to use the issue to sew discord. >> nothing matters more to china's government right now than sovereignty. even if the claims involve islands that are little more than specks on a map. although not near a war, it is not peace, either. beijing. >> sevennation countries lay claim to parts of the south china sea. some of american allies. >> malaysia's transport minister is asking countries to help share the cost for the search for flight 370. 27 countries have taken part. australia has taken the lead, because it is close effort to the presumed crash site. it could cost more than $55 million. malaysia said it's time to talk about who is footing the bill.

>> in the past, there was no talk of dollars and cents. it's time for us to actually look at it more seriously, an issue of sharing of costs, because it might be for the long haul. >> china is also closely involved in the search since most of the plane's 239 passengers were from there. the u.s., which has three citizens onboard said it's submarine will only continue to look in the search for another month. >> on tuesday, iran will resume nuclear talks with the west, but the countries stream leader is drawing a line in the sand, saying ballistics missiles program is not up for discussion. >> they expect to restrict iran's missile capability while they are cribsly raising military threats. it is an it yodic expectations. if you want to raise restricts iran's missile program, you should not publicly threat be us with a military attack.

>> iran's defense industry is said to be off limits. he made the comments where an alleged c.i.a. spy drone was on display next to its iranian made copy. >> defense secretary chuck hagel said he is open to reconsidering the ban on transgender people serving in the military. he said the policy should be reviewed on a regular basis. >> i go back to the bottom lane, every qualified american should have an opportunity to serve our country if they can do it. >> a ban on openly gay mill at her personnel was lifted, but transgenders must keep their identity a secret or risk being discharged. >> taking a the airways to

defend themselves, what thester links had to say and what the nba said in response. >> both sides in the battle certainly digging in their heels over the battle certain to ensue. the sterlings sat down separately for interviews since the release of donald sterlings racist remarks and since the ensuing fire storm that has the nba vowing to take the clippers away from them. >> speaking to cnn, l.a. clippers owner donald sterling strikes a remorseful phone for telling v. stiviano she shouldn't bring black people to basketball games. he said: >> as to why he has waited until now to respond, two weeks after his remarks, sterling said:

>> sterling has this to say about efforts to force him to sell the team. >> i love my league. >> i'm fighting for my 50%. >> in an interview on abc, shelly said she will resist efforts to force the sale of the controlling interest in the franchise. >> do you support the nba decision to ban your husband? >> i can't comment on that. i was shocked by what he said, and you know, i guess whatever their decision is, we have to live with it. >> the nba wants to out of the you completely as a team owner. you will fight that decision? >> i will fight that decision.

>> in response, the nba says its constitution is clear: >> the nba says its advisory board will meet again to discuss the clippers sale. the new appointed league c.e.o. will meet for the first time. shelly sterling said she is filing for differs from donald sterling, something i'm is that your surprises none of us. >> yeah. ok. thank you. >> it was shut down in the summer of 2011. a rare earthquake rattling the tallest building in the nation's capitol. this morning, the grand reopening of the washington monument. >> psychedelic mushrooms are illegal here in the united states, but researchers overseas say they could be used to treat a common medical condition. >> a mother's day she will never

forget, why these ohio twins are so rare.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. let's get a check now of the videos captured by citizen journalists around the globe. this dramatic cell phone video show strong winds pick up an entire farmhouse. a local meteorologist, tim jones, was chasing the storms when he captured the scene. wow. at least one tornado tore through the area last night. >> a plane drifted to the ground safely using a par chute in australia. all four people onboard survived without any serious injuries. >> take a look at this, the miraculous driving skills of this truck driver, strong winds almost tip over the semi truck, but the driver able to regain control of the big rig and did drive it safely to the road. >> welcome to al jazeera america. the grand reopening of the washington monument in just a moment, but first a look at the forecast. werwill we get more of that wear

today. >> this morning, as you step outside around chicago, it is 69, dewpoints in the mid 60s, very summer like people to the air. it is warm and humid in all these areas shaded by the yellow. temperatures here only in the thirds, denver, it is cold enough for snow as it continues to come down. we are sitting just below the freezing point at 31 degrees. we are not going to all stay cold here across much of the midwest. we are 65 and temperatures will be climbing as you go through the day. what we have in place right now, big dip in the jet dream will shift to the east. wednesday, this is a look at that jet and that deep trough we'll dig out, as well. we're going to keep it pretty nice here along the east coastline. the warmth we're enjoying now, we're going to be sticking around for a few days before temperatures get back to average.

low 80's for this afternoon. we'll have to watch the skies for showers and storms with that warm air in place. tuesday, temperatures get a little bit cooler than average into the mid-60's, have a few showers around and by wednesday, much cooler, 57 degrees is where we'll stay for the latter part of the work week. it is going to be a warm one. anyone going out to see that monument in washington, d.c., 87 degrees, 88 in philadelphia and will top out in the mid-80's around new york city, so well above where we would see these temperatures for this time of year. heading across denver, we'll only make it to forth degrees. 89 degrees. by the time we get into tuesday, we talked about the cooler air sticking around much of colorado. as you head further to the south and west, 93 degrees around l.a. and even the bay area will start to feel heat building. 84 around san francisco and 80 degrees in seattle. by mid week, low 80's around seattle, low 80's in san

francisco, wednesday, los angeles, 96 degrees. really here along the west coast will feel that heat build over the next several days. >> researchers in switzerland believe the active ingredient in magic mushrooms may help reduce anxiety and depression. they are illegal in the u.s. a new study shows small amounts diminish the way the brain processes negative emotions and improve a patient's mood. researchers help it could normalize the way patients process negative stimuli. >> new york is looking to ban e. cigarettes, making it illegal to smoke the vapor cigarettes indoors. they are considering restrictions on liquid nicotine used in the devices. it comes on the heels of the f.d.a. plans to regulate

e-cigarettes and create health warnings for the devices. >> a special mother's day after giving birth to a rare set of identical convince, jenna and jillian are what doctors called monoam knee at particular twins. they shared the same sack and placenta and were in constant contact with the pregnancy. the girls immediately held hands after they were delivered. >> i started tearing up immediately. it was beautiful. >> doctors say the girls are in good health and have been taken off ventilators. their mom was able to hold them yesterday on mother's day. the mano a mano twins happen only one in 10,000 births. >> the challenges in getting 800 million voters to the ballot box, as we are live in india.

>> there is a commandment that says when there's someone who's a captive in some way or another, it's oblige atory to rescue them. >> new lives and how they wound up in the rocky mountains. >> along the main migrant corridor in mexico, the story of a group of women who try to give migrants heading toward the u.s. a helping hand. >> a look at hour images of the day, cliff diving, these photos come to us from cuba, divers jumping from a platform 90 feet high positioned on havana's historic moro castle.

>> bionic technology being developed on earth and for space. >> visitors will be able to hike to the top of the washington monument. the iconic landmark will reopen for the first time since 2011 when it suffered major earthquake damage. we are live in washington where the national park service is holding a special ceremony this morning. what's it look like out there? >> it's just a beautiful day. we talked to people who have been out here since 1:30 in the morning. they are getting ready for the big ceremony and they open it up this afternoon to people who have tickets, 1800 tickets for today, another 16,000 have already been reserved on line, booked almost through the end of june. >> this has been a large and

expensive undertaking, especially considering that it was all happening with the budget sequester last fall. >> there ended up a pretty good situation there. it was large. it was expensive, $15 million, but a local philanthropist kicked in half. the taxpayers ended up paying $7.5 million of repairs. there were huge cracks in the monument, so big that you could see light coming through. they had to put up 2.5 millions of mortar just to hold together all of the pieces that they had to put back to make the monument safe. >> wow. all right, tracy pots reporting live from washington. >> the world's largest election is drawing to a close. in about a half hour, more than 800 people have been casting their ballots in india. this ma ban massive undertaking

for india. what are major challenges in carrying out the voting process? >> to make sure everybody gets the chance to vote, you need in excess of over 1,000 polling stations, a million security staff and over a mail and a half polling staff to make sure it happens over five weeks on nine days, as they call them, nine phases over april and may. the challenges are to make sure that the voting machines are in place in each of the voting stations is getting the security personnel and the polling staff in position to be able to allow people in those constituencies to vote. some are the size of the eastern seaboard in america, some states the size of germany and france

put together. >> how does it work now. how does the vote counting process work? are they electronic voting machines and do we know results, are there exit polls that take place there? >> in a few minutes' time the polls will close in the remaining states that have to vote and politicians will wait until friday when the vote counts begin. across the country, electronic voting machines are in place, those electronic votes themselves will be counted quickly when the polls -- when the election commissions and the respective states count votes on friday. just before, all the postal ballots ever to be counted. those postal ballots to military staffs, foreign government staff work ago broad and paper ballots for those who couldn't vote in they're region.

exit polls are unreliable here. in the past three elections, the polls have been completely wrong. we don't take anything for granted at the moment. >> thank you. >> another election to tell you about in afghanistan. the front runner in the presidential poll there now has the backing of a key rival. as aljazeera reports, the alliance could help the front runner clinch the election. >> former rivals now on the same side in abdullah abdullah's bid for the presidency. he was endorsed. >> we are supporting abdullah abdullah for president because he shares the same hopes and

aspirations as i ever for afghanistan. >> the former foreign minister who stepped down last year to take part in the poll could gain considerably from his endorsement. political analysts say his decision secured him a place in abdullah's inner circle. as he was leaving, we asked the man widely expected to be the next president if he will offer rasul a role in his government. >> of course the future government, we will form with our own team, with different teams. now we are part of one team. now it's not his team, my team, that is over now, now from this point on, we are form the government. >> it's not just rasul who benefits from the union. outgoing president karzai could, too. he has stayed publicly neutral in the election. diplomats said backing was

received which means karzai is all but insured an insider in the future government. the support for abdullah from the north could be a balance in the run off election next month expected to be between the current front runner and former world economist. >> in afghan politics, anything can happen before final results are in, but report for abdullah is about as close as one can get. >> this is afghanistan's first democratic transition of power. >> in south sudan, fading hopes for a lasting ceasefire. fighting broke out hours after a new truce went into effect. a u.n. official said there were clashes in the northern town. the government and rebels blame each other for the violence. both sides agreed to the ceasefire after meeting

face-to-face in ethiopia. thousands have been killed six fighting began in december. >> south sudan gained independence in 2011 after decades of fighting. thousands of orphans fled and came to be known as the last boys and girls. some made it to the u.s. they did not allow their difficult past to dictate their futures. >> i ran from south sudan from the civil war. i was a refugee in nairobi as one of the lost girls. >> memories are overshadowed by joyful chatter in the home. this is the first time her relatives and friends have been together since they fled more than 20 years ago. some have traveled thousands of miles for this reunion. >> you know in sudan, we say mountains will never meet, but humans will always meet, even if it's like a hundred years.

>> over a decade of civil war, tens of thousands of sudanese children fled, ending up as outcasts in refugee camps. alone at six years of age, cecilia seemed bound for savory. >> if you don't have parents, it's so hard for you to go to school, because these people want you to do stuff like cleaning, because you don't have parents, and they can get bride price. >> she was not sold. today, she is an independent young woman with a college degree, thanks to the rabbi. ten years ago, she read about the lost girls. inspired by the narrative of exodus, she convinced her

congregation to adopt cecilia and 18 others. >> there's a commandment that says when there's someone who's a captive in some way or another, it's obligatory to rescue them. >> three others are receiving degrees at the university of colorado. she has her own family now with her husband, who was a loft boy, and a brand new master's degree in education. >> you made it! you made it! she hopes to start a girls school in sudan. the ground is bought and waiting for the lost girls to come home. carol mckinley, aljazeera, boulder. >> more than 1.3 million people fled their homes in the latest

fighting in south sudan. aljazeera arabic correspondent has now been on a hunger strike in an egyptian prison for 112 days. he's asked authorities to transfer him to a hospital within 48 hours. medical tests show his health is failing. his attorney said he could die if not given immediate help. >> during a visit, it said he was in coherent and the things he said didn't make sense. he also fainted and was unconscious. his mother called the lawyer to confirm that people saw him in that state. of course, i felt his life was at risk, especially after i saw him in court and the pictures after he lost weight. >> three other aljazeera journalists continue to be held in egypt for 135 days now. they are falsely accused of conspiring with the outlawed

muslim brotherhood. aljazeera rejects the charges and demands their immediate release. >> a train featured in the aljazeera documentary border land is making changes. each year, thousands of desperate central americans ride the boost in an effort to come to the u.s. now "the new york times" reports the train is banning migrants from doing so. this new ban has left hundreds of people stranded. this journey has always been dangerous, but was made a bit easier by people offering help for years. >> this group of women feeds migrants riding the train that carries them north to the u.s. border. their leader has been doing this for almost 20 years, waiting for the train. it's known as the beast and carries migrants from central america through mexico. >> back at the shelter, she asks

new arrivals why they left home. >> i let them do this, because there is no work there. we can't live there anymore because of crime. my children couldn't go to school. one of my sons has already been killed. >> that's why he brought his youngest son on this journey. like countless mothers before her, she left her children, six of them back in guatemala. >> my children were asking me for things i couldn't buy. all i could do was give them my heart. >> norma sees their pain and the only way she knows how, by offering them a home cooked meal. >> it doesn't matter where they're from. all we know is they're hungry. they need to eat. leaving their family is not easy. >> norma's finally gained support from those in power. mexico's president recently

award the country's human rights award for helping migrants. >> they're easy prey. when they don't pay, they get thrown off the train. they get mutilated and sometimes die that way. >> it's been another long day of preparation. now they only have a few moments to pack the food and then toss it to hungry migrants riding the rails. when a full train finally comes, the work is fast and dangerous. migrants onboard feel a rush of excitement. >> this day, they have come to the tracks to give foot to hundreds of migrants making their way north, but increasingly, many aren't even getting on the trains, because it's become dangerous. some are now walking along the highways. >> some are walking in the trains wake. the father and son from norma's shelter left honduras three

months ago. they saw migrants tossed off the beast and ever walked the rails ever since. they hope to reach the u.s. someday. veracruz, mexico. >> the world's most widely viewed sporting event is a month away, but the upcoming world cup has been tainted with allegations of corruption. the new soccer stadium in rio reportedly cost $900 million, triple the original price. according to the associated press, the main construction company working on the stadium increased political donations 500 fold. in a new report, auditors flagged $500 million for questionable spending. one third of the stadium's cost may be attributed to over pricing. >> soccer fans young and old are counting down the days until kickoff. the excitement is in the heiress specially for sticker collectors. they're sold in more than 100 countries, including many not participates in the games.

nowhere is that passion more alive than in soccer crazed argentina. >> the world cup must be closed because all over the world, groups, mostly boys are swapping their football stickers. many parents are asking why they can't apply the same dedication to homework. >> it's also infectious, dragging in the whole family. >> i do it for my grandson. it's a passion for my grandson. for that reason, i come with him as his grandmother. >> england, costa rica, spain. >> if collectors don't get the stickers during the week, they come here to the park, rain or shine to what has bam trading floor. only here can two algerian

defenders be worth a lionel. a truly international experience repeated in countries across the world, not just in the 32 nations taking part in the world cup. by the way, if anyone out there's got a spare wane rudy sticker, i've got the ivory coast national team to spare. >> it's a tradition going back to the world cup in 1970, heavily laced with nostalgia. for the italian based sticker makers, a multi-million dollars industry. i remember completing that 2006 album when we landed that elusive defender. in argentina, football and football stickers are part of life. >> it's great for society, and in these difficult times we're living through with all the security where parents fear leaving the house with their

kids, this is a perfect meeting place. perfect. >> whoever said that collecting football stickers was only a hobby for 11-year-old boys. by the time the world cup kicks off, these collectors with 639 stickers in place will be experts. only needing to fill in the name of the eventual winners. aljazeera, buenos aires. >> the sticker albums may not seem like a huge deal, but can be pricey with over 600 stickers, filling an album can cost $800. >> righting a wrong 70 years later. >> even though things have changed, i think this is a good time to talk about the past. >> he was denied an education at the university of kentucky because he was black. this weekend, the school tried to make up for it in a big way. one of the rarest animals on earth gives birth to for more.

why veterans won't be able to give them a check up for two more weeks. >> looking live in the nation's capitol, the washington monument reopened today three years after rattled by a rare east coast earthquake.

>> an indonesian zoo has four special new members. these rare tiger cubs born on may seven are still protected by their mother. veterinarians won't check them out for another two weeks. the destruction of their habitat have pushed the tiger to the brink of extinction. the worldwide life fund estimates there are only 3200 left in the wild. the zoo is now home to seven of them. >> welcome to al jazeera america. in just a minute, a man who graduated from college 70 years

after he was supposed to. first, meteorologist ebony deon has a check on the forecast. >> another wet day and stormy one across our nation's midsection. that's an area we'll be watching especially storms i've monitored have since weakened, but there is plenty of rain out there. we have a batch pushed through indiana and ohio. the storms that have moved across missouri into iowa have weakened, but we'll need to watch this area. once we get into the afternoon hours, we'll have at the same time heating destabilizing the atmosphere and storms will start to pop. on the backside of the system, snow is coming down around denver. it's been making visibility low, so a tough go of it here where we do have wintery conditions out on the roadways. it was closed for a time. across the southwest, no precipitation here. it's going to stay hot, dry and

windy, fire danger will be with us here. more storms are expected to fire up here. >> pretty extreme day, thank you. >> a u.s. airways flight from convenient noise to philadelphia had to be diverted to ireland after most crew members suddenly got sick. the plane turned around over the atlantic ocean and headed back to dublin after seven of the nine flight attendants onboard were dizzy and nauseous. the pilots and the 185 passengers onboard showed no signs of the miss citious illness. other flights were caught back to philadelphia. >> don jones is suspended from team activities until undergoing sensitivity training for tweets he said after michael sam was chosen in the draft. jones tweeted o.m.g. and

horrible. he apologized to sam and the miami dolphins. >> researchers in switzerland have created a real bionic arm. the technology could have many applications here on earth and in outer space. >> this arm scans, calculates and then moves to catch a variety of objects. the researchers manually taught the arm to move, then coupled it with an advance system of movement, monitoring an prediction. >> if you predict wrong or don't know when an object is going to come to you, no matter how perfect your robot is, you will reach the long location and miss the object. the most important part of that research was to accurately predict how the object is going to fly in the air through future

and where it is going to land in the work space of the robot. >> mission abort. repeat. >> take the technology in space and you have the potential to avoid space junk disaster which appeared in last year's film gravity. tens of thousands of objects orbit the planet, putting astronauts at risk. the ability to smash pieces of junk could help in clean up efforts. the technology has applications on earth. the development of driverless cars like this one from google rely on just that, to avoid collisions. >> of course, the controller can be used for many applications, typically catching people that are in danger of falling, catch an object that may fall on to people. that also applies to any controller for robots, reacting

rapidly to traffic. it is an example of free acting or catching or avoiding things that move rapidly. >> what's the catch? not much. the technique still needs fine tuning, but researchers say we should expect to see it as a part of the next generation of responsive technology. >> researchers say the arm learns like humans, by trial and error and it can adapt to changes in realtime. >> it was a night decades in the making a 91-year-old finally went to her first prom. students at the high school in pennsylvania cheered on edna and her 92-year-old husband after inviting the couple to be v.i.p. guests. edna's strict parents won't allow her to go to her own prom. her daughter stepped in to help set up the dream night. edna said she doesn't dance much anymore, times have really changed.

>> now they just stand in one place and shake it. >> getting her nails done and putting on a crown for the big night, queen for a day. >> it is the time of year when college graduates are walking down the aisle. one graduation had a special meaning with the awarding of a degree to a world war two veteran. it was a diploma that was denied nearly 70 years ago. ♪ >> amid pomp and circumstance and the crowd of graduates at the universities of kentucky. >> this is something that i never thought would happen in my life. >> there is one man who stands out at a school now trying to right a wrong. 191940's, the university of kentucky was segregated and did not allow black students. harrison always dreamed of becoming a wildcat. he tried to enroll, but was denied admission. >> there was no opportunity, even though harrison wilson was not only a star athlete, but a

veteran. he was coming home after serving in the navy, and on the g.i. bill. >> when i came, wanted to come here and was disappointed, i went to the black school, just 28 miles away and got a good education. >> undeterred, wilson got his masters and doctorate degrees. becoming a successful basketball coach and then a college president. now nearly 70 years later. >> to harry bonn b. wilson, jr. [ applause ] >> dr. wilson at age 90 is receiving an honorary doctorate from the university that once rejected him. >> thank you, doctor, it's a pleasure. >> so, it's really a wonderful opportunity to say, you know, this was an injustice, here's our attempt at least symbolically to fix and we can't go back and give the people who were denied degrees degrees, but we can honor harrison wilson, who is one of those people. >> business administration.

>> the timing of the honor is particularly special, because doctor of the wilson's grandson, brandon, is sharing the stage with him, receiving his masters in history. brandon said his grandfather's success continues to motivate the family. >> he's always inspired me and not everyone has sort of role model that has gone so far in education. i was really blessed to have that growing up. it's just something. he set the bar high and we're all really pursuing it. >> you've got to be oriented toward working. ative your money, you get out there and nickels become dimes and dimes become quarters. i showed them. >> congratulations to you, sir. >> brandon hopes to build on his grandfather's legacy, perhaps aiming for university presidency someday, knowing that people like his grandfather helped make an he would occasion possible for him and many others. >> tomorrow, why you may not

want bypass surgery after your surgeon has had a few days off. a new study says the risk of death increases in direct correlation to the amount of time a doctor has had away from the operating table. by pass surgery alert tomorrow at 8:00 on the aljazeera morning news. that will do it for this edition of aljazeera america. i'm stephanie sy.

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only on al jazeera america >> hello, welcome to the news hour, i'm jane dutton in doha. >> kiev condemns the referendum as a farce. >> indians go to the polls in the face of the world's biggest election. >> and we'll have